Cherry Chipolte Chili: Gluten Free and Vegetarian

My friend Lori had a cooking night the other night where she made some fabulous recipes for us. This one sounds strange but was oh so yummy! She is mainly vegetarian and gluten free.

Ingredients:
2 c vegetable broth
1 c dried cherries (our grocery has them by the raisins)
1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 T crushed fresh garlic
1 bottle roasted red pepper chopped, or one fresh red pepper chopped
4 t chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t dried oregano
4 c petite canned chopped tomatoes
1 16 oz can black beans
1/4 c chopped cilantro
avacado to taste

For chips:
Spelt Flour tortillas
Coconut oil

Directions:

Heat 1 cup of broth in microwave. Place cherries in small bowl and add hot broth and set aside.Heat olive oil in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion (and red bell pepper if not using bottled roasted bell pepper); sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add chopped bottled red pepper (if not using fresh), chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and remaining broth, bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, cilantro, and cherry mixture. Continue cooking until thoroughly heated. I cut one tortilla into wedges and fry in coconut oil and stick the triangles in one side of the bowl and then chop a half of avocado and put on top of the chili. If you can find spelt tortillas, they don't have gluten, have only 100 calories and are yummy.

Asian Steak Tacos with Spicy Mushroom Salsa

When I saw these in my bon appetit magazine I seriously drooled onto the page... I kid you not. I made them, and they totally lived up to each salivatory drop. Only next time I'll make a few changes to appease mine and my husband's taste buds.

ASIAN STEAK TACOS
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon lemon peel
1 teaspoon Sicilian sea salt
2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed
8 flour tortillas (6 inch)

SPICY MUSHROOM SALSA
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound shiitake or crimini mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
2 large shallots, sliced into rings
1 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper {I'll use 1/2 t. next time, too spicy for me}
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil {I'll use 1/2 T. next time, it overpowered the natural shroom taste}
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed
1/4 teaspoon Sicilian sea salt

Mix oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, ginger, lemon peel and sea salt in a small bowl until well blended. Place steak in a glass dish. Rub seasoning mixture all over steak. Cover. Refrigerate 1 hour, or longer for extra flavor.

Meanwhile, for the Salsa, heat oil in large skillet on high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 4 minutes or until golden brown. Add shallots and chipotle chile pepper; cook and stir 3 minutes or until shallots begin to brown. Spoon mushroom mixture into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss lightly. Set aside.

Grill steak on medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until medium-rare doneness. Remove steak to cutting board. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice steak across the grain into thin slices. Serve in warmed flour tortillas topped with Spicy Mushroom Salsa.

Yum.

It's actually a Cat Cora recipe, promoting McCormick Gourmet spices...

Chili's Salsa

Out of all the restaurant salsa's out there - Chili's and Uncle Julio's are my favorites... This taste's just like Chili's, so I thought I'd share. Sidenote: Why does Chili's have better salsa then On the Border? Same company - you'd think they'd give the better salsa recipe to the Mexican restaurant. Next challenge is to find a match for Uncle Julio's salsa.

I got this off of recipezaar and made a couple adjustments for a fresher taste (the cilantro and lime). It's been a hit every time I've made it... which has been quite a bit lately.

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes (plus the juice)

4 teaspoons jalapenos (canned,diced, not pickled)

1/4 cup yellow onion (diced)

1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1 t. lime juice

1. In food processor place jalapenos and onions.

2. Process for just a few seconds.

3. Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar, cumin, cilantro and lime juice.

4. Pulse all ingredients until well blended but do not puree.

5. Place in covered container and chill.

A couple hours of chilling helps blend the flavors, and gets better tasting each hour it sits.

Tamale Pie

I use to make this all the time when I first started cooking. It was when I thought that casseroles was the only form of cooking I could handle. Why I stopped making it, I'll never know because it is goood! But it's for sure going back into the rotation.

PIE

1 lb. ground beef

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped green pepper

1 (16 oz.) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 c. sliced black olives {i omit, not a fan}

I clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese {i use 1/2 c., and it's plenty}

CORNMEAL TOPPING

¾ c. yellow cornmeal

½ tsp. salt

2 c. cold water

1 T. butter

- Preheat oven to 375.

- Cook ground beef, onion and green pepper in skillet until beef is browned. Pour off excess fat.

- Add tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt.

- Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

- Add cheese, stir until it melts.

- Meanwhile, stir cornmeal and salt into cold water in saucepan. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

- Turn meat mixture into greased 9x9 casserole dish {or I'm assuming a pie dish would work, hence the name}. Top with cornmeal mush.

- Bake for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Green Chili Chicken

I made this on Sunday in the crockpot and it was really good. It was super easy to throw together in the morning and was ready when Matt got home. I'm sure you could cook it in the oven for an hour or so, too, if you prefer.

3-4 large chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic herb blend seasoning (or plain garlic salt would work, too)

6 cups steamed rice
blue corn tortilla chips

Place chicken, soup, chiles, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic blend in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When done, shred chicken with two forks. Spoon over bowls of rice and garnish with crumbled blue corn tortilla chips.

4 servings

from Picky Palate

veggie gnocchi

I love, love, love gnocchi and order it whenever I go somewhere that serves it. I tried making homemade gnocchi one time and it wasn't really worth the effort. Then, hallelujah, I found it in the pasta aisle at Wal-Mart. Happy day. This recipe was the perfect dish to make with it. Light, easy, summery and with tasty leftovers. Enjoy.

1 T olive oil
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 summer squash, quartered lengthwise, and sliced crosswise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 lb. gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 T grated Romano cheese
1 T butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice.

Coconut Macaroons

1/3 C plus 3TBS flour

3 3/4 C coconut

1/8tsp salt

1 can sweetened condensed milk or use the alternative

1tsp vanilla

Mix together in a bowl with a large spoon. Drop onto a well-greased or parchment covered cookie sheet. Very important as there is no oil in them!!!

Bake at 350 degrees

8 min for little cookies

20 min for large

Bake until bottoms are just barely brown

Alternative to Sweetened Condensed Milk

I got this recipe from a friend that is really good at using things that are in her food storage and is an amazing cook.

3/4 C powdered milk

3/4 C sugar

1/2 C HOT tap water

Put hot water in blender. With blender going, add sugar and dry milk. Blend until smooth. Makes about 1 can of Sweetened condensed milk.

Spinach Artichoke Bites

If you need an appetizer, try these. Pick your favorite dip, (like Melissa's Spicy Artichoke Dip) and make them into individual bites. The shells are wonton wraps placed in a mini muffin pan. Use just under a tablespoon in each cup. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Blueberry {and Strawberry} Shortcakes with Lemon and Thyme Biscuits

This is from my bon appetit magazine and are super amazing. Puts a whole new spin on the normal shortcakes. I made them for Mother's Day {yes, I love cooking that much} and none of us were saying a word other then, Mmmmmm...., because they were so good. I added some strawberries too, because I can't do a shortcake without them.

berries
4 cups fresh blueberries (21 to 22 ounces), rinsed, drained well
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water

biscuits
3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1 tablespoon raw sugar

Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream

Berries: Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until berries are slightly softened and syrup coats spoon, about 10 minutes. Transfer to medium glass bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Biscuits: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with silicone baking mat, smooth side up, or parchment paper. Mix buttermilk, lemon peel, and thyme in small bowl. Whisk next 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend, breaking up any large clumps of brown sugar with fingertips. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk mixture and stir with fork just until blended (dough will be sticky). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead gently just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 turns (do not overwork dough or shortcakes will be tough). Pat dough out to 3/4-inch-thick round. Using 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Gently gather dough scraps and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out additional rounds, for 6 rounds total. Transfer dough rounds to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Sprinkle dough rounds with raw sugar.

Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool slightly. Using serrated knife, carefully cut biscuits horizontally in half. Place bottom half of each biscuit on each of 6 plates. Spoon blueberries and syrup over, dividing equally. Cover with biscuit tops. Place scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream alongside each and serve.

Sloppy Veg-Head Joe

This is from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book that I got for Mother's Day... this is the first recipe I've tried and it's yummy! I made whole wheat hamburger buns with it {good buns, but use half the salt - they were way too salty for us}. Made it nice and cheap being meatless and with homemade buns and all... and when you borrow the yeast from your neighbor, it makes 'em even cheaper! ;) thanks Dude

1 T. canola or vegetable oil
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 red, green, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 (21-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
salt and pepper
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted or chunky-style crushed tomatoes
1 rounded T. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (see Note below) or vinegar of any kind
1 lime
4 crusty rolls, split and lightly toasted
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. To the hot oil, add the jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

Fold in the black beans, cumin, and coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar, and Worcestershire or vinegar and simmer the mixture for a few minutes to combine the flavors.

Squeeze the lime juice into the pan and stir. Serve the joe mixture on buns with cilantro to top.

SERVES 4

NOTE Worcestershire sauce contains everything but the kitchen sink, including anchovies. I love it, but if you follow a strict vegetarian diet you might prefer to substitute vinegar.

Homemade Marshmallows

2 oz. unflavored gelatin
2 cups cold water, divided
2 egg whites
2 cups sugar
1 t vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
3 T cornstarch

Mix powdered sugar and cornstarch. Liberally coat a 9x13" pan with sugar/cornstarch mixture. Reserve remaining for later.

Place 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the top and stir to dissolve. In a medium sauce pan, combine remaining water (1 1/2 cups) and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook to 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved.

While sugar and water are boiling, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. While mixer is running (at about medium) slowly pour in sugar mixture. Whip for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and mix for another minute or two. Mixture should be glossy and shinny and will begin to thicken. Pour into prepared pan and cover with more powdered sugar mixture. Let rest and set-up for a minimum of 4 hours and up to overnight.

Remove marshmallow from pan and place on a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 1" squares. Coat marshmallows in powdered sugar mixture. Store in an air tight container.

*Marshmallow can be colored with liquid food coloring. You will need to add the food coloring at the beginning of the mixing time.

**You can also make marshmallow eggs for Easter. Fill a 9x13" pan with flour. Using plastic (or real) eggs, make indentations for the mold. When marshmallow mixture is whipped, use two large spoons to spoon marshmallow into the mold. Eggs can then be chocolate covered.

I used these to make "gourmet" s'mores at a "faux campout" over the weekend. We used organic graham crackers and high quality chocolate. They were quite the hit!

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime-Mint Dressing

We made this for a work meeting and everyone was freaking out over how good the fruit tasted, not realizing it was the yummy dressing doing it. You can also make it without the mint and it's still awesome.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 3-pound cantaloupe, halved, seeded, chopped
1 12-ounce basket strawberries, hulled, halved
4 kiwis, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Whisk lime juice, honey and mint in large bowl to blend. Add all fruit to syrup in large bowl and toss. Let stand at least 15 minutes to let the fruit absorb the dressing. You can make it up to 3 hours ahead if you want, just cover and chill. Spoon fruit into cute bowls or goblets if you're feeling ambitious.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with honey-cinnamon butter

For the honey-cinnamon butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the sweet potato pancakes
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, plus more if necessary
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup store-bough pancake mix
1 small pinch ground nutmeg
1 small sweet potato, broiled, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

Beat together the butter, honey, and cinnamon until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Stir in the pancake mix and nutmeg until just combined. Fold in the sweet potato. If the batter seems too thick, add more buttermilk until it reaches the desired consistency (it should be thick but still pourable).

Place a large, greased griddle or pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, spoon the batter onto it and cook until the surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Serve, topped with the honey-cinnamon butter and a little maple syrup. YUM!

from cookie magazine

North Texas Student Union Coffee Cake

I made some of this coffee cake for Mom last night to see if it was like the "real thing" that she my grandmother's old Bridgeport Methodist Cookbook, we now have the recipe....it also helps that Imust have guessed right on a few of the vague instructions, like add vanilla....didn't say how much, just to add it!

So, here is the recipe for one and all....

North Texas Student Union Coffee Cake

Cake Ingredients:
4 cups flour
4 Tablespoons of Dry Milk
4 teaspoons of backing powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/3 cup of sugar
12-14 Tablespoons of shortening (I used the butter shortening because I had it open)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla (I used the real vanilla, not imitation)
1 1/2 cups of water

Topping Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

Combine flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

Add shortening and cut in as you would a pie crust.

Add eggs, water, vanilla, and beat (I used my paddle attachment on my kitchen aid and barely had to mix it, just mix until it is incorporated nicely.) The mixture will be fairly thick.

Pour into a greased (I greased my glass 13X9 baking dish with butter because I was out of Pam) baking dish.

Melt butter and pour or brush it on the top. Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the topping and layer on top and pat down a little. You can top with chopped pecans if you like.

Bake for about 55 minutes until a toothpick in the middle comes out fairly clean. This puffs up pretty tall, so it take a while. My instructions said to cook for 35 minutes but I found it needed a lot more, so just keep an eye on it.

This is a great cake for breakfast or a brunch. I am sure it is good with coffee as well but I don't drink coffee so I had it with milk!

Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes

Do anyone else have leftover Easter ham? This is so easy and good.

6-8 slices of ham cut into cubes
8-10 potatoes thinly sliced (I don't even peel them but you can)
2 onions thinly sliced
1 c. grated cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Put half of potatoes, ham and onion in crockpot. Add half of cheese and soup. Add remaining ham, potatoes and onions. Top with remaining cheese and soup. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. (High 4-5 hours).

Spiced Lentil Tacos

Don't be scared by this recipe. This is a great, cheap alternative to traditional tacos and lentils are definitely healthier than hamburger meat. A 1lb. bag of lentils is about $1.50 and will make 2 recipes. It's quite delish; even my Dad enjoyed these!

1 T olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce finely chopped (can be omitted if you don't want it too spicy)
tortillas, warmed
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce or cabbage
diced tomatoes
sliced avocado or guacamole
salsa


Heat oil in large skillet or sauce pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are frgrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth and chipotle chilies; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tneder, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve with cheese, lettuce (I prefer cabbage on these), tomatoes, avocado--whatever fixings you like on your tacos.

When I make these, I 1.5 the lentil portion. It's great as leftovers and makes a fabulous lunch at work the next day. You can also make a yummy taco salad.

enchilada bake

Here's another blog-stalked recipe. It's going on my regular meals list!

8 small flour tortillas, torn into quarters
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 large leaves of kale, finely chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk
2 cups salsa, divided
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Saute onion and kale together with olive oil. Add corn and cook until no longer frozen. In large bowl, combine rice, beans, soup, milk, cumin and 1 cup salsa. Add kale/onion/corn mixture to bowl and mix well. Spray 9x13 pan with Pam and line with half of tortilla quarters. Spoon filling into pan and then top with remaining tortillas. Spread remaining 1 cup salsa on top {cover the entire thing - this keeps the tortillas from getting crispy while cooking} and sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Cook for 25 minutes at 375*.

Black Bean Fajitas

I've started blog-stalking the recipe blog of a girl in my ward. She has some great, healthy meals. This one was really tasty.

2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
1 onion, cut into strips
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 fajita seasoning packet + 1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked brown rice
guacamole
salsa, sour cream, and cheese if desired

Cook brown rice as directed. In a large skillet heat 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil and saute vegetables until tender crisp. Add black beans. Combine fajita seasoning mix with 1/4 cup of water. Add to cooked vegetables. Stir and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Assemble however you like on the tortillas and enjoy! I think the next time I make these I might even just opt to eat them as a burrito bowl with a bit of extra rice!

Italian Sausage Rotini

I got this recipe from the Kraft website, but ended up changing a few things. It actually tastes a lot like Michelle's cavatini recipe, but wasn't as time-intensive. This is how I made it, and we both loved it. I'm definitely making it again.

3 1/2 cups uncooked wheat rotini {any pasta will really work}
1 lb. bulk sweet italian sausage
2 green peppers, cut into chunks
2 cups spaghetti sauce {plain old traditional Ragu works great}
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta as directed. While that's cooking, brown sausage with green peppers on medium-high heat. Drain excess fat and then add spaghetti sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until heated through. Drain pasta and then add to the skillet. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Serve with steamed veggies and garlic pull-aparts.

**Next time, I'm going to throw in a bunch of sliced mushrooms to cook with the sausage & peppers. Yum!***